


A New Page

by Izzu



Category: BBC Drama, Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzu/pseuds/Izzu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Journey's End. It was his life from now on, a different path. 'Happy ever after' is still a long way to go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Page

**Author's Note:**

> Just putting this here. This could stand as a one-shot for now until i manage to write the rest of the story. Had wanted to explore the plot prior to the pieces I've written about Rose and John's life on Pete's world.

The moment the TARDIS completely vanished from sight, the whole weight of the things that had happened to him started to come crashing towards him.

He grabbed Rose's hand gently as she looked up towards him.

This would be their new start; at a life that was not quite the Doctor's life nor it would be a _normal_ human life. Because he couldn't just imagine himself... suddenly settling down, living like a normal human. Because he wasn't quite a normal—well, one half of him was still the Doctor and one half of him was...

… and the part of him that came from Donna seemed to abhor the notion of such a dull life—he could still see... _felt_ Donna's disdain of being just a nobody. Of which she's not; obviously, considering she was the most important woman...

“You think you'd be okay with this, with me?” he asked a bit shakily, afraid of the answer that would come out of her lips. He still remembered her words earlier—he was still not the real _him—_ he couldn't bear the rejection if he couldn't be as good as the real Doctor...

_Even when they shared a kiss earlier..._

Rose turned towards him, rather surprised at the question. She blinked. “O... of course I will, Doctor. I'll be okay with this... now that I have you. It can't be worse than the last time I was here...”

He smiled nervously before cocking his head to the side. “And ah... talking about that... I think—”

Jackie suddenly wrapped her arms around both of them. “Pete's gonna be here soon. Got the arrangements for transport quick enough—what's up with you two?”

Rose shrugged as she gestured towards the Doctor.

He sighed. “I... I mean, about calling me the Doctor. Because I'm not really... him, and that name was not _really_ a name and I can't exactly use his real name I—”

Rose grabbed his arm suddenly, looking alarmed. “Oh... no, it's about what I said earlier, isn't it? Oh, Doctor... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you...”

“No... no,” he hastily said. “You're right... I'm not really, you said nothing wrong... it's true after all... in a fashion...”

Rose grabbed him into a hug and held him tightly, as he bit his lips to will himself to not suddenly turn into a sobbing wreck. Jackie did not made it any better as she started pinning him in place as well. Rose let him go before sniffling.

“So... what name should we call you, if you didn't want us calling you the Doctor? John Smith? Or that name you used when we met Queen Victoria.... what was it? Jamie... James McCrimmon? What did you mean... oh! So what was the Doctor's real name?”

He blinked at the flurry of words coming out from Rose's mouth. He shook his head hastily, “Ah no... his name's quite long actually and I'm not sure I should tell; it's quite a long jumble of words... quite the standard for an average Gallifreyan name, I mean take an example at Romana' name, quite a tongue twister. Hard to pronounce in a short time in case of trouble...” He finally noticed that Rose and Jackie were losing him as he hastily changed the subject.

“John Smith. John Smith should be good. James... Jamie was actually the name of the Doctor's old companion, much much _much_ earlier on in his timeline—It'll be awkward if I started using that name permanently,”

“John it is!” announced Jackie as her attention turned elsewhere. “That should be the Torchwood's jeep! Come on, let's go home!” she exclaimed as she dragged Rose and _John_ speedily towards the jeep.

xxx

John glanced towards his shoulder as he watched Rose peacefully sleeping beside him.

“ _I said 'Rose Tyler.'...”_

_“_ _Yeah and? How was that sentence gonna end?”_

Back then, he was not sure of what he should have said. In fact, he _had_ dreaded the moment that Rose would ask the Doctor about it. But he knew that the Doctor wouldn't admit to it; or actually _finish_ the unspoken words from where they had left off, a long time before...

A part of him felt guilty about it... because the words and feelings had been the Doctor's. Even though it was as much his own as well.

He didn't like _lying_. The Doctor had lied so often, yes... but he was not one who liked lying so much. Ironic, isn't it? So he told the truth. He didn't expect anything to come from it.

Yet it was his lips that Rose had kissed so passionately and his heart could not decide whether or not to _like_ that feeling of being kissed or felt guilty that _he_ had to see that. _That_ was his first kiss after all. Whereas the Doctor, he'd kissed Rose twice. Once as his last incarnation and second was in his current; though he doubted that Rose could remember it. After all, that one time she was overwhelmed by the time vortex inside her head and another, she had been possessed by Cassandra. The Doctor had kissed so many companions... yet for that _one_ kiss, he felt extremely guilty about.

How should he go about with his life from now on? He'd try his best to live and be true to himself, but would that be enough? For Rose, for himself, for whoever that matters. Should he act more Doctor-like or less Donna-like—oh, what should he do...

He'd have a lot of things to get adjusted to now; to try to live as a normal human, to not feel too anxious at the slow passage of time... to not be able to travel—oh! John patted his hand on his jacket, particularly his left coat pocket.

There was still this small coral; though it was still a long shot for him to be able to crack and make this coral grow into a proper TARDIS. Even with Donna's tip to allow him to do it faster. After all, he had no sonic device; no Time Lord technology to help him out. He'd end up having to rely on any odd alien tech that would come his way.

Time Lords...

John turned his head upwards towards the dark, star pock-marked sky. _Did Gallifrey exist here_ , he wondered...

_And if it did, did Gallifrey still..._

“Not really understanding the situation right now myself, but John... you're welcomed to join our family,”

Suddenly Pete's voice broke his reverie as John turned his head towards the front of the jeep. “I just hope I don't burden you guys much,” he said.

Jackie turned her head around as suddenly. He could see that Tony was also asleep on her lap.

“Burden us? Nonsense, love... you're already _family_. Besides, the mansion's big enough to fit all of us with a bit more space to spare. Don't worry...”

Her eyes followed him as John unthinkingly turned towards Rose. She smiled. “And you don't worry about my girl. She's stronger since the Doctor left her last time and with you by her side now I'll feel better. I wouldn't stand it anymore to see her alone by herself so you being here is a blessing. She'll get over the Doctor soon and with you here, it shouldn't be a great loss either.”

Hearing that, John gave her a weak smile before looking away. The future was still a long way to go, who know what fate would have in store for them. This was a start of a new page in his life.

Allons-y.

**Author's Note:**

> Had wanted to take my shot on this plot, since I do feel John/Ten2 still gonna have a few issues before he could actually able to live a normal life. Just hope that I could actually get around to writing it.


End file.
